208 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



The seed should not be harvested until fully ripe 

 When gathered in wholesale lots without the careful se- 

 lection which has been described, the plants are cut, hung 

 in the dry for a few days and then threshed. The chaff 

 is next removed and the berries soaked in water for a 

 day or two when the skin and the pulp may be readily 

 removed by the use of a wooden block, followed by suc- 

 cessive washings. Carefully selected seeds are stripped 

 from the plants by hand, soaked for a day or two and the 

 pulp removed by rubbing the berries between the hands 

 or by the gentle use of a wooden block, after which they 

 are washed, thoroughly dried and stored as other dry 

 seeds. In the process of washing, the heavy seeds sink, 

 while the light ones float and are poured off with the 

 shells and the pulp. Further selection of large, plump 

 seed may be made by screening with a mesh of proper size. 



273. Propagation. — It is universally conceded that a 

 strong one-year-old crown is superior to older crowns. 

 The roots of two-year plants are seriously mutilated 

 when dug, and the younger plant becomes established 

 more quickly and grows more rapidly. The best cultural 

 conditions must be provided to grow strong crowns in a 

 single season. 



The richest garden soils should be selected for this 

 purpose, and the seed sown in the spring as soon as the 

 ground can be prepared. As the seed germinates very 

 slowly, an early start is important to have the benefit 

 of a long season. If hand wheel hoes are to be used, the 

 rows should be not less than 15 inches apart; while for 

 horse tillage 30 inches is not too much space. A pound 

 of plump, fresh seed should produce at least 3,000 plants. 

 The propagator should aim to have a strong plant every 

 2 inches, though 3 inches apart in the row is better 

 spacing to produce the most vigorous crowns. 



Thinning is often necessary to prevent crowding and 

 the production of weak plants. As the small plants are 



